2007 Fall Gardening Trends

The Garden Writers Associaton Foundation (GWAF) has released its “2007 Fall Gardening Trends Research Report,” revealing insights on consumer gardening attitudes and expectations for the current season.

Conducted in August by TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, a national consumer polling organization, the survey statistically represents the attitudes of 110 million households with an accuracy of 95 percent (+/- 3.1 percentage points). Homeowners were asked what activities they believed were “appropriate” for the fall season. The survey offered choices for activities that were and were not generally recommended for the fall season.

Related to plants, almost one in three households (29 percent) reported they believed gardening should stop at first frost. Households that plan to make fall plant purchases primarily with the stpring season in mind grew by 10 percent from 35 percent in 2006 to 45 percent in 2007. Fifteen percent chose sowing flower seeds as a fall activity.

The number of households planning to do indoor gardening has risen to 57 percent, representing 46.3 million households. The top two reasons cited were for decoration (47 percent) and emotional enjoyment (43 percent). Lack of time has been the traditional obstacle to indoor gardening. This year “No Time” declined from 30 percent in 2006 to 25 percent in 2007, making it the #3 obstacle to indoor gardening. Limited space is now the major obstacle to indoor gardening.

The survey is now available online and free to all GWA members. Visit www.gardenwriters.org and select the Gardening Trends Research tab.

Brokers, growers, mail order, and seed packet companies can purchase these varieties immediately. Retailers and consumers will find AAS Winners for sale for the 2017 gardening season as supply becomes available throughout the chain of distribution.